The Many Shades of Red
by That dorky blonde
Summary: Sort of spin-off to Cutting Family Ties and A Rose That's Red. Must read those two first if you want things to make some sense! One-shots or connected series of chapter about Red that didn't really fit into the plot. Episodes, pre-team, and other little moments. I do not own the magnificence that is Young Justice.
1. Just Another Mission

**Okay, those of you who follow what I normally say in my little notes know I've been trying to write another little fanfic involving my OC Red. Here it is. Finally. It will mostly be one shots, but some things will be connected. Sort of. Hope you like it :)**

Another mission was about to begin, and I still didn't have a plan to stop it. Great.

"Get in line! All of you!" the Joker barked. The small group of villains-in-training scrambled into a line, waiting at perfect attention. He walked by each of us and stopped by me.

"Rosie, I swear if you mess this up," he trailed off with a snarl as his hand encircled my neck and squeezed. I glared at him as he walked away.

As my "classmates" and I hurried out into the streets of Gotham for the next big heist, I silently wished that I could get out of this. All of this. I didn't want to be abused day after day. I didn't want to destroy lives. I wanted to save them. Specifically, I wanted to save me. Though there's only so much a twelve year old can do, even if I was the twelve year old.

Now, I don't mean to brag, but I was the best out of all those villains-in-training. I was the smartest by a long shot. Most of the others were just brutes who wanted to use their strength to strike fear in others. I was forced into the damn business. I was at the peak of physical condition, seeing as I'd been trained since I was a toddler. Also, my powers were some of the strongest. Not that I ever used them. I'd never try to be associated with my mother, Poison Ivy. Yet I was stuck as me, Rose Quinn Ivy. My mother made my last name Ivy, even though that wasn't her original one. She's one of those people who are, erm, out there if you catch my drift. Though I digress.

I stopped on top of a roof to survey the rest of the area around me. That night, we'd be robbing Wayne Tech. I had some interesting theories about that Bruce Wayne, theories that prompted me to believe we wouldn't be accomplishing the mission. Not that we would anyway, since I was present.

As I gazed out over the twinkling city, I felt a frigid arm snake its way across my shoulders. Icicle Jr. Again.

"Get off me or I swear I will judo flip you halfway across the world," I snarled, not bothering to look at him.

"Isn't that cute?" he chuckled.

"Get off me you perve! I'm twelve!" This time, I didn't hesitate to flip him off the roof. He landed on the ground with a satisfying thud and I started off towards Wayne Tech once more.

I knew that I still needed a way to stop the robbery, especially since there was lots of valuable tech in that place. I lay my hand on my utility belt and fingered through the different pockets. Mostly knives that were given to me from the villain populous (it's a common gift when you start the business young), but I'd swiped a few others things from the facility and had fixed up some used pellets and blades from the Dynamic Duo. They were all special use, and I most definitely had a special use for them.

Once I'd really gotten started with running, it didn't take long at all to get to Wayne Tech. Even if I was the first there, I couldn't barge in and tell everyone to hide everything. That would end up with me being killed by my "superiors" since it'd be so obvious. Trust me, I'd gotten the warning enough times in the past month and they weren't kidding. I could see the others nearing and I bit my lip. I'd just have to mess it up as the real mission was being done.

"I'm here, waiting the arrival of the rest of you," I said, tapping the comms link in my ear.

"If you mess anything up, _bitch_, I will personally..." I let the threat crackle through my ear without an ounce of care. Many people here hated me. I welcomed it, for it meant I was doing my job.

In minutes, the rest of my team was there. We waited in an alley a block away from the building. Another thing that gave me the advantage: I was the best strategist there. They all turned to me, some with disgusted looks, waiting for a plan.

"Okay," I cleared my throat. "Martin and and Walker, you two charge through the front doors and create a distraction. Gonzalez, you and Junior sneak in on one of the first few floor windows and go through until you find the necessary materials. Anything unnecessary, you wreck. I'll be going from top to bottom. Don't be afraid to radio in."

With that, I quickly vanished into the darkness of the night. I dashed towards the Wayne Tech building and shot my grappling gun to a ledge ten floors above. Then another ten floors. Then another. After flying up thirty-seven floors, I swung onto the roof of the building. There was a doorway that led down and I quickly darted through it. Luckily I'd memorized Wayne Tech thanks to previous missions and regular research. I needed to know since it was obviously going to be a mission sooner or later. Plus, you never know when you might need something for an escape.

I peeked out of the stairwell door, observing the halls. No one yet. Then an explosion rocked the building. Well, it was most certainly a distraction. Yet another thing about my peers, they are oblivious to the whole "think before you act" thing. I rolled my eyes before dashing into the hall of the top floor. I didn't believe anything was here, so I just threw a bunch of smoke pellets, making the fire alarms go off. Water started spraying from the ceiling and I grinned. Any papers that were to be taken would now be soaked along with any tech susceptible to water.

I ran through floor after floor, each time satisfied that my on-an-impulse plan worked. I could also blame it on whoever cause the explosion since there wasn't really any evidence of me throwing the pellets.

"Batman's here! Batman's here!" a panicky voice squeaked.

"Where?" another demanded.

"Sixteenth floor! I'm going through the windows! The explosion ruined everything!"

"We're so dead!"

"Nie martw się, będę bałagan to się jeszcze bardziej dla nas," I said.

"And that was a random language for?"

"Polish for don't worry, I've got it covered," I lied. I sped down the floors, busting door locks with my many tools and keeping the fire alarm blaring.

I reached the sixteenth floor and stopped to catch my breath. My red hair was damp with sweat and clinging to my forehead. My throat burned. Yet it was thrilling, for I'd done my job. All I had to do was throw a fight with Batman and I could hobble out like he'd hurt me. Taking a large gulp of air, I looked above, below, and around me for the great hero of Gotham. I couldn't ask him for help now as I could've a year before when I tried to run away many, many times. There were ways for them to trace me that I hadn't had time to deactivate yet.

I heard a small swoosh to my left and immediately back handspringed to the right. I crouched into a ready position and put up my hands. There was a slight disruption in the silence and I looked up to see Batman swooping down on me. I backed away slowly until I hit the wall. Now all I had to do was take a hit and...

"Ah!" I gasped in pain as his fist connected with my stomach. I hurried away, but not before giving him a hard kick to the head for good measure. My comms unit crackled to life in the sound of a furious voice.

"YOU! SHE WRECKED IT AGAIN! I checked the smoke detectors on the bottom floor and none were activated! IT WAS ALL HER!" The noise hurt my ear and I yanked out the earpiece and stomped on it before running again. I had the feeling that I'd be in more trouble than usual. I was dashing down the stairwell again when another explosion rang through the building. It was closer to me. A lot closer.

I had to get them off my trail, so I threw myself through the doorway leading to the tenth floor. I could see a wall of windows to my right and I through some explosives toward them. They blew up and I dashed across the room. I was just about to leap through and shoot my grappling gun when something wrapped around my ankle. I tripped and landed with a grunt, taking only a second of hesitation before grabbing a knife from the utility belt on my black bodysuit and slashing the bindings. I leapt to my feet and saw the Boy Wonder, Robin. I'd only encountered him on a few missions, and I wasn't sure if he recognized me. He was holding a Batarang or a Birdarang or whatever those heroes called it, poised to attack. He looked at me quizzically.

"I hacked the security tapes. Why'd you set off the fire alarm?" he asked. I could hear the distant pounding of feet and I knew time was running short. I backed away until I was right against the broken window, a cold, sharp wind slashing against my back. I shook my head at Robin before back flipping through the open space. Though again my attempt was in vain as yet another explosion blew up right behind me, sending me flying back into the Wayne Tech building. I groaned as I tried to stand up, knowing that something was very bruised. The Dynamic Duo was nowhere in sight. I could've used them then.

"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie," a malicious voice started from another entrance. I got to my feet and saw Icicle Jr. He aimed his icy arm at me. "You feeling a bit hot lately? I can fix that."

"Cameron, just leave my punishments for our superiors," I choked out the last word and it left an awful taste in my mouth. "Don't do something you'll regret." While I was saying this I was slowly pulling out one of my specialized fire blades. It would hurt me, but his ice powers would ultimately be weakened.

His gaze was locked on mine as he growled, "Too late." Wicked sharp pieces of ice went flying toward me as I barely maneuvered through the first barrage. The room soon became cold and covered in ice shards. I shivered subconsciously, knowing this was bad. As a plant manipulator, I was very susceptible to ice, fire, and I couldn't hold my breath for very long because I needed a constant mixture of both oxygen and carbon dioxide to keep my human-plant mixture of a body alive.

I continued to dodge the deadly blasts of ice, hoping it wouldn't last for too long. I was stuck with the most mentally deranged people on Earth. I knew I had to take the offensive so I started making my way towards Icicle Jr., slowly flipping over every bit of ice. I got a foot away before darting up to him and punching him square in the jaw. He faltered, stumbling back. I didn't hesitate to sweep my legs under his and once he fell to the ground, I gave him a hard kick to the head. He was out cold.

I looked around me and, seeing nothing, hurried back to the window. I fumbled for my grappling gun and once I grabbed it, jumped. I hoped none of my teammates could see me as I shot the grappling gun out and it hooked around a lamppost. I swung to the ground and landed in a roll. I whipped my head side to side, hoping no one was there. I was inevitably going to get in trouble again. Cameron knew I'd caused it and the fact that I knocked him out didn't help much either. Great.

After an hour of aimlessly wandering and walking around Gotham, I returned back into the facility. I slipped inside, knowing that no one would notice me, and made my way to my little cubicle of a room. I lay on the floor and closed my eyes, sighing.

"ROSIE!" a voice roared, echoing through the building. The Joker with another abusive lesson for me.

Great.

**Thoughts? Please, constructive criticism is always welcome. Plus, I've been feeling pretty insecure about my writing this week, so PLEASE tell me what you think, please follow, favorite, and review! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Dysfunctional Family Reunion

**Whoo! New chapter! I had to post this before the new chapter for A Rose That's Red, so stay tuned! i hope you guys like this because it took me a SUPER long time to write. I worked hard on this! You'd ****_better_**** like it! Hehe!**

Dick's POV

"So, Bruce is really letting me patrol with you two?" Red asked me, walking through the manor by my side. I'd let Bruce know that she knew who we really were, and he didn't seem to mind too much. She didn't have an ounce of traitorous blood in her, if that makes sense.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Though you'll have to learn how to function like us."

Red shrugged. "I'll figure it out. You know, eventually." She quirked a smile during this last part and I chuckled.

"I'm sorry, but was it only two and a half weeks ago that I decided to kiss you for the first time? Because I am definitely an idiot for not doing it sooner," I laughed.

"You're just realizing that now?" she scoffed, flipping her wavy red hair over her shoulder. We turned to each other before cracking up. She leaned closer to me before giving me a soft kiss on the cheek and walking off to somewhere else. It always muddled my head a little when she kissed me.

It was a few hours later, and the three of us were on patrol. Batman, Red, and I were perched on top of a building, looking and listening. The wail of an alarm screeched through the brisk January night air and our party disappeared into the shadows. I darted through the darkness until I arrived at the site: a textbook bank robbery. I rolled my eyes at the one, two, three, four, five criminals before going after one that was dashing away.

He suddenly turned left into a dead end alley and I cackled. The robber whipped around.

"Who-who's there?" I cackled again and I could see that he looked scared.

"I warn you. I gotta-"

Before he could finish, I leapt from the shadows and punched him in the face. He staggered back, holding a bloody nose and I charged forward again. It didn't take long to knock him out. I cuffed the unconscious man's wrist to a lamppost before heading back to the scene.

Batman had already knocked out two of them and Red was working on her second. I arrived just as she kicked the goon into a wall and he collapsed. She smiled and brushed her hands on her knees.

"Good job," my mentor said to her with a hint of a smile. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, though I quickly banished it from my thoughts. Red's closest thing to a mentor was Batman, especially since her heritage came from a big enemy of his. She wanted to completely cut her family ties, and she did.

I walked over to her and elbowed her.

"That was just your first little fight. There's a lot more to do, you know."

She smiled before elbowing me back and running back to the rooftops. I followed and once again the Dynamic Duo and our third partner disappeared into the night.

The patrol was pretty normal, except for the fact that Red was there. Things were going smoothly. We stopped a lot of crime and I could tell that she was enjoying herself for once. It was nice to see her smile.

We were perched on a building over a police car, waiting for something else to do. Suddenly, its radio crackled to life.

"We have a bank robbery on West Main Street, the Joker is present. I repeat, robbery on West Main Street with the Joker."

I saw Red tense up and her eyes widen. She had just finished recovering from the last attack. At least she had physically. I doubted she'd be fine if there was another encounter. Apparently, Batman was thinking around the same thing.

He turned to us and ordered, "Stay here. Don't follow me and don't move."

I nodded. Red did too, but rather mechanically. I squeezed her shoulder as Batman darted off to the Joker's location. The silence began to drag on and Red sighed.

"I have to be able to face him."

"Red, come on. He nearly killed you a few months ago. You're allowed to be afraid of him."

She shot into a standing position and glared at me. "I am not afraid of him! I'm not _afraid_ of anything!" she insisted, doubt evident in her voice.

"Red, I didn't mean-"

"It sure sounded like you meant it that way, Robin," she snapped. I tried to stutter out a reply, but she was already walking away.

"Red," I called, following her. "Red!"

She started running across the rooftops and I dashed after her. She was heading towards Main Street.

"Red!" I yelled again.

She must've sensed the desperation in my voice, for she stopped and I could see that she was hanging her head. I quickly caught up to her.

"You may or may not be afraid of him, but I'm afraid of him hurting you," I said, placing my hand on her shoulder. Her fists clenched and she took a very shaky breath.

"I am not _afraid_ of the Joker."

I was about to say something else when the roof we were standing on collapsed and we both fell through. I hit my head on something and then the floor, and black dots swam before my eyes. I saw bright green hair, white skin, and a ruby red smile before feeling a sharp pain in my ribs. I heard the distant shouting of "Robin! Robin!" and I couldn't respond. I blacked out.

Red's POV

I scrambled to my feet as splintered wood and bits of plaster fell around me. I winced as I put weight on my ankle, guessing that I'd sprained it.

"Robin?" I called. "Robin!"

I waited for an answer. When nothing came, I became more frantic.

"Robin! Robin!" I shouted. Once again, there was no answer. I started making my way through the wreckage of what used to be a roof, looking for my boyfriend.

"Robin!" I called one last time, knowing it was futile. Though I got a response.

"Hello, Rosie," the Joker said, walking towards me. He was holding Robin by the throat. "Boy Blunder can't talk right now. Please leave a mention after the beep. BEEP!" He punched an unconscious Robin in the face as he screeched this. His nose started gushing blood.

"Don't you dare-" I warned.

"Do what, Rosie? This?" He whipped out one of his knives and pressed the point against Robin's face. "I've always wanted to carve this bird."

I dashed forward and threw my Rose Blades, hoping they'd pin him. Though since I couldn't risk hitting the Boy Wonder, I missed. The Joker cackled.

"I heard you weren't afraid of me, Rosie. I'll have to change that." His constant taunts had the desired effect; I was losing my composure. He held the knife over Robin's neck and the blade was already cutting skin.

"No!" I cried. "Don't hurt him!"

He cocked and eyebrow. "Oh? And what will you do?"

The complete and utter lack of care in his voice made something inside me snap. Had I really put up with this for thirteen years? "You bastard. You soulless, disgusting son of a bitch. Let him GO!" I screamed, lunging at him. I could tell I'd caught the Joker by surprise from his brief expression of a hanging mouth and raised eyebrows. He let go of Robin as I tackled him to the ground and started punching him. In the face. Excessively.

"Bet you wish you didn't make me the strongest," I panted as I noticed his deformed and bloody nose. The Joker just gave me a twisted smile and I heard a beeping before I was blown backwards and slammed into a wall. I shook my head and blinked my eyes a few times, trying to stay alert. I saw him coming closer to me and I steadied myself as best as I could. He'd already gotten to me a long time ago, but I could hide that. I couldn't hide the bruises and blood that he'd surely supply.

Somehow the Joker had acquired his crowbar and was dragging it next to him as he advanced towards me. He grinned with rotted yellow teeth before hitting me with it in my side. Disoriented as I was, I couldn't dodge. I fell to the floor, feeling that it'd broken the skin and there was a thick liquid starting to seep into my shirt. His twisted grin widened as he leaned down next to my ear and whispered with breath more rotten than his teeth, "Nighty night, Rosie. Sweet dreams."

The words sent a shiver down my spine as I felt the cold and wet metal connect with my head. Then, nothing.

Robin's POV

"Robin, wake up. Robin," a quiet voice hissed while a strong hand gently shook my shoulder. I groaned and groggily opened my eyes, seeing my mentor crouching above me.

"I told you to _stay put_," Batman growled.

"But Red-"

"Later. Where is she?"

"I don't know, but I saw the Joker. Wherever he is, she is," I replied quietly.

"Come ON Rosie! You know I don't like it when you take too long for a nap time!" a psychotic voice suddenly pierced through the thick silence. My muscles tensed; if he was going to hurt her again, I was so going to...

Batman must've sensed what I was thinking, because he set his hand on my shoulder again and shook his head. Though then I heard a sharp crack and, despite the pain, leapt up. I bolted to where the sound came from only to be thrown back by a crowbar. I clutched my ribs; they were hurting even more. I glared at the Joker before having my eyes rest on an unconscious Red. I nearly snapped right then and there. Her side was bleeding, turning her green shirt a dark red. I could see a purplish-blue lump forming on her head and various other cuts and bruises I was not going to let him hurt her anymore.

"Let her go," I growled, perfectly imitating Batman.

The Joke snorted. "Fat chance, Boy Blunder."

Then, without warning, he bent down and picked her up. Like he was going to take her somewhere. My fists were shaking along with the rest of my body and I forced myself to calm my breathing.

"Put. Her. _Down_," I demanded, bubbling rage evident in my voice. He had already hurting her again and he had the nerve to hold her? I was disgusted and wanted to get Red out of those sicko's arms as soon as possible.

I was about to repeat myself when I sensed a stronger presence behind me and a more commanding voice ordered, "Put her down, Joker. Now." Batman.

The Joker's smile just twisted more. "Sorry Bats, but is it so wrong for a father to hold his little girl?" he asked, stroking her hair. If she were awake, Red wouldn't even let me do that. I was seriously considering killing this guy. Then what he said broke through my rage and sunk in. The Joker, someone very high on my most-hated list, was the girl that I loved's father. What?

"You're-you're, her father?" I stammered.

He cackled. "I thought you were supposed to be smart, Boy Blunder. Though you can have her. Rosie was always the disappointment in the family."

With that, he tossed her limp body over to the two of us and I scrambled forward to catch her. I looked up again and he was gone. I swore under my breath as I turned my attention to Red. There was no way she was the Joker's daughter.

Though as I looked more closely at her, my heart began to sink. Her mother's skin was tinted with green while her apparent father had white skin. That would explain Red's unusually pale skin. She also had a pretty messed up mind. Mental problems could've come from anything in her past, including her heritage. Still staring at her, I tried I stand up, but quickly collapsed. I'd forgotten that I was still hurt as well.

Batman sighed and took the heroine from my arms. "You can stand, right Robin?" he asked.

I nodded. "Batman, I don't think she knows."

"Neither do I."

"She couldn't have heard him, right?"

"Most likely."

"Should we tell her?"

"No, not yet. It'd be too 're bringing Red back to the Batcave. Then you and I need to talk."

**Yay! Secrets revealed! Though Red still doesn't know! *GASP* Thank you for reading and please follow, favorite, and/or review! Yu guys are the best!**


	3. Homefront

**Episode chapter! This is Homefront, so I hope you guys think I did it justice. It's not my best work to be sure, but it's still good. Hope you like it!**

I squinted down the dark alley, noticing a figure clothed in green making its way to the Gotham zeta tube. Artemis. She sighed before punching in a location and was about to step in when the Boy Wonder himself appeared from behind the phone booth.

"Artemis?" he asked with obvious sarcasm. He must've known. Well, I knew since I'd trained with her, but luckily she didn't recognize me. Anyway, Artemis would have a hard time explaining why she was in Gotham. I would too, if they saw me.

"Robin! I, uh," she stuttered, obviously looking for an alibi.

"How random that you're in Gotham City! Instead of Star City, where your uncle, Green Arrow, lives," he continued. As much as I liked the guy, he was being a jerk. I sighed and jumped off the building I was crouched on, landing right in front of my best friend and close teammate.

"'Sup guys," I greeted.

"Hey Red!" Artemis smiled gratefully.

"And what would you be doing here?" Robin asked with a tinge of disappointment. I'd ended his game.

"Looking around, I guess. I've been in Gotham before, of course, but never have I had time to take in the city. Oh and Arty, wasn't your cousin in the spelling bee here today? How'd she do?"

"She didn't win," she caught on.

"Too bad. Let's go!"

"Ladies first," Robin taunted.

"Your city," Artemis shot back. He put his hands up in defeat and walked into the zeta tube. As soon as he disappeared, Artemis gave me a wary look.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I figured you were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. It worked, didn't it?"

She shrugged in reply before disappearing into the zeta tube. I followed soon after.

As soon as I appeared in the mountain, I saw flames and smelled smoke. My first thought was something even my mom would wash my mouth with soap for. I back flipped away from an incoming fireball.

"Robin? Artemis!" I shouted over the roar of the fire.

I threw a Rose Blade from utility belt and heard the clang of metal meeting metal. A second later Artemis was on my right and Robin on my left.

"Who are we fighting!" Artemis demanded.

"No idea, but we're sitting ducks by the tubes!" I yelled back. I could make out two figured through the flames, but nothing else. That's never good.

"Head for the exit!" I heard Robin yell. The three of us dashed towards the large path leaving into the rest of the mountain when a giant wave of water came our way. "Or not..." We started running the other way when the force hit us. I grunted as I submerged then found myself again on flat ground.

"Keep moving!" I shouted. We started running again and didn't stop until we made it to the exercise room and the metal doors slid shut. Robin whipped out his communicator while Artemis and I tried to contact our teammates through the link.

"Robin to team, come in! Aqualad!"

_M'gann, are you there! Conner! Wally! Report! _I tried. Nothing

"No answer!" I groaned. Just then a twister of fire broke through the wall and sent the three of us to the ground, but we all got back up in under a second and started running again. I darted through a doorway, Robin and Artemis following.

"Robin to Batcave! Override RG4! Cave calling Justice League! HOJ slash Watchtower!" Robin shouted as I led the three of us into the shower area. "B01, priority red! Commons ares, locked." We'd turned on all the showers, hopefully keeping the fire away. My heart pounded against my chest and the adrenaline fueled it. We were all soaked with sweat and water. This was going great.

We stood there, facing the doorway and waiting for the next challenge. I heard the pipes groan and started a sentence.

"Guys, I-"

"At least the water's helping," Robin panted.

"The pipes!" I yelled as the knobs burst off of the wall and water came blasting out. The shower heads popped off and the room started filling with water.

"Or not," Artemis sighed as we started floating and the water rose to our necks. Again some words I'd rather not repeat flashed through my mind. The water went above our heads and Robin swam forward with an explosive Batarang, attaching it to the wall. The blast broke the wall and the water forced us tumbling out. We all took a second to regain our breath and started running. Again.

Following the hall, we made our way to the kitchen.

"We need to get lost," I advised.

"The vents?" Robin asked.

"No, I was thinking we'd shove ourselves under the couch," I said with a slight roll of the eyes.

"This is no time for sarcasm!" Artemis insisted.

"Oh damn well."

I wrenched the grate off of the vent over the stove and jumped into the vents. I wriggled through to make room for the others and I was soon joined by Artemis.

"Where's Robin?"

As soon as I said it he popped up next to us. "Downloaded the cave's blueprints. Could come in handy... Move!" he panted. We all crawled through the musty metal vents with Robin calling out directions.

"Left!" A blast of fire blew through where we just were.

"Too close," Artemis muttered.

"Take the first right! There should be a vent cover right in front of you."

I slipped it off and dropped down the circular vent. I landed on a platform over looking the mechanical room and the other two dropped next to me. Robin opened up his wrist computer again.

"This way!" he commanded. Artemis and I followed as he ran down the stairs, the metal clanking under our feet.

The now-familiar sound of burning came again, and I turned to see one of those figures cloaked in fire. Before it could even look at us, I grabbed Artemis' and Robin's wrists and pulled them forward. I leapt over the railing and landed softly on the floor. I crouched behind a machine and knew my teammates were behind me when I heard the shallow and quick breaths. A whistling sound started and my head snapped to the gauges on a machine that were breaking.

"That's not good," Robin pointed out before we started running again, steam bursting from busted pipes. We weaved through the machines and the blasts of fire started again. I could tell that my breath was shorter than that of the other two and my thoughts were getting muddled. Really not the best time to have my powers. On top of that, I couldn't even tell my friends why I was having terrible trouble keeping up.

I darted behind another machine and did my best to focus on Robin, who had his wrist computer up again. "I know that other access tunnel is here somewhere," he insisted.

"You mean, this one?" Artemis called while pulling up another cover and disappearing. Robin nodded and stuck another explosive Batarang onto the machine before hurrying after her. I started to follow but tripped and landed hard on the ground, really starting to feel the effects of the flames. Robin turned at the thud and pulled me up.

"Come on!" he ordered, grabbing onto my wrist and yanking me into the hole where my other friend had gone.

I heard the distant sound of an explosion as I experienced another hard landing on the metal tube-thing we were in. I stifled a groan as I crawled after my teammates.

"Hold on," the only boy present said after what felt like an eternity. Artemis and I crowded around him as he yanked off a small panel and plugged a wire into an oddly shaped socket. "Locking out cave motion and heat sensors to prevent the enemy from tracking us."

"And I ask again, who is the enemy?" Artemis hissed.

Robin smiled. "Let's find out. Downloading cave security footage... There!" Four different screens popped up, showing four different angles of the hangar and our friends around Sphere. It zoomed in on one, showing M'gann and Conner stood next to each other, Wally was working on a motorcycle, and Kaldur seemed to be just walking in.

"Dork-wrench," Wally requested and the said toll floated over to him. He turned to Meg. "Thank you, green cheeks."

"I've been meaning to ask," Kaldur started. "Any problems juggling school work with your responsibilities here?"

He was met with a chorus of nos, not reallys, and other explanations mixed with a flirting attempt from Wally (Arty and I couldn't help but roll our eyes, even in a situation like this).

"Artemis starts school today," he continued. "Do you think she will have trouble maintaining her loyalties?"

I saw the girl in question's eyes narrow.

"Nah, she'll manage alright. I mean, how much more hostile and annoying could she-" Wally was cut short as an explosion blew through the wall and smoke briefly blocked the cameras' views before they all stopped working.

"What happened!" Artemis was first to speak.

"Explosion took out the camera, I'll find another angle," Robin replied. I'd never heard him serious before. He pulled up other cameras and we saw our friends briefly before the other cameras got taken out as well.

"That's it. All four are dead," Robin stated. Artemis and shot him an alarmed look.

"He meant the cameras," I said tiredly in the background.

"Exactly. I'm sure the others are fine. Though are you, Red?" he asked.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. Totally. Nothing's wrong in my corner. I've just had a lot of issues with fire in the past and so smoke takes a serious toll on me." Not a total lie, and they seemed to buy it anyway. I was still safe. Well, my secret was. Me on the other hand... Not so much.

Robin gave me a concerned look, as he always did when he thought I was hurt. "Just be careful then. I don't want you to get injured."

I nodded again.

He shook his head. "Back to what's at stake. Give me a sec to find the fastest way to the hangar."

Artemis leaned back against the other side of tube. "Yeah, they're fine. They've all got superpowers. They can handle anything."

_Not true!_ I felt like screaming. I shook my head slightly and trailed after the two of my friends as they started to crawl again. Robin abruptly stopped and pulled out a panel, revealing the library under us. We all dropped to the small second floor, some less gracefully than others, and silently hurried to the ground.

"There's a secret passage behind one of these bookcases," Robin whispered.

"Seriously?" Artemis asked.

"Cliche much," I muttered.

"You should see the Batcave," Robin chuckled. At least attention was directed away from me. I didn't want anyone going too deep into my weaknesses.

The cracking open of a door pierced the quiet and the three of us instinctively drew our weapons before darting for a place to hide. Once behind a bookshelf, we could clearly hear the metallic clanking of what must have been a robot.

"Artemis, Red Rose, Robin," a familiar voice called.

"It's Red Tornado!" Artemis beamed, jumping out from our hiding spot. I saw her smile disappear and eyes widen. I caught a glimpse of a red machine with yellow markings and apparently so did my other teammate. Robin and I didn't hesitate to dive out and knock her away.

"Yes on the red," he panted.

"No on the tornado," I finished as we took off again.

Just around the corner was the fiery figure, another robot. We jumped onto the shelves as more flames came our way.

"_What_ are they?" Artemis questioned as we sprang from bookshelf to bookshelf.

The sprinklers must've turned on, for I felt tiny drops of water pelting my skin. The other two landed behind a shelf and I threw another Rose Blade at the robots. The larger one Arty had mistaken for Red Tornado raised a wall of water to block it and the skinnier one that was shooting us with fire pushed a shelf, causing a domino effect. I back flipped onto the ground just as Robin opened a passage and the three of us fell in then took off running again.

"Did you know Tornado had _siblings_?" Artemis sputtered as we continued to run.

"No." The short and breathy answer from the Boy Wonder.

Artemis grabbed his wrist before he could turn left at a four-way intersection of paths. I stopped and tried to silently catch my breath and hide my weak feeling as she began to freak out.

"So now what! Red Tornado is one of the powerhouses of the League! How are we supposed to take down two of him!"

"They do seem pretty user unfriendly," I added in the background.

"Don't _joke_!" she whirled on me.

"Attention Robin. Attention Artemis. Attention Red Rose. You have exactly ten minutes to surrender, or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished," a mechanical voice reported through the mountain. We all turned to each other, wide eyed.

"Nine minutes and forty-five seconds," it announced.

We began running again as the time was periodically announced, warning us.

"We can access the hangar from here," Robin said, skidding to a stop. Artemis turned around and gasped and I followed her lead to see a giant wave surging towards us. "Or not," he said again.

It really wasn't my day. "Will you _please_ stop saying that!" I yelled as we tried to run again, though it didn't take long for us to be overtaken by the water. Robin pulled something from his utility belt and stuck it on his mouth. A rebreather. We regrouped and he quickly handed it to Artemis, whose eyes widened as a metallic hand clamped around her ankle. She was pulled back and me and Robin swam after her. I grabbed one of her arrows that had floated off and stabbed it through the robot's head, making it let go. He looped an arm around her and shot something at the wall. I was starting to lose air myself and wrapped my arm around his neck as the three of us were pulled forward. He must've left even more of those explosive Batarangs behind, for I could feel some blasts at my back. How many of those things did he have?

Our heads popped above the water and the three of us gasped for breath. I gratefully took in every gulp, knowing that I'd nearly passed out. Robin and Artemis seemed fine, though.

"Look out!" I heard Wally shout. At least Robin had found a way to get us to the hangar. I was too exhausted to react as a fireball hurtled towards my head, but luckily Robin grabbed me and pulled us under. He pulled me through the water and all three of us came up right next to Wally and Conner, who were both stuck in what looked like melted metal.

"You guys okay?" Robin asked, still holding onto me ridiculously tightly as if I'd die if he didn't.

"Forget us! Help M'gann!" Conner yelled over the roaring flames and waves. We could now see our two other teammates in a cage made of fire. Aqualad was holding M'gann, and both seemed to be feeling the heat. I shuddered at the thought of being in there.

"Aqualad!" Artemis cried. "Is she...?"

"She is unconscious. I fear she-we-cannot survive much longer!"

I heard the whistling of another ball of flames and managed to muster enough strength to dive under the water again and swim down and away. I knew Robin and Artemis were following and I tried to stay as strong as I could. I surfaced again at the steps leading to the higher floor and started hurrying up and I heard the footsteps of my friends behind me.

I turned my head to see the water controlling robot coming up the steps and pulled out some Rose Blades, along with Artemis, who nocked an arrow, and Robin, who pulled out some Batarangs. Then came the other robot. Of course.

"I'm almost out of arrows," Artemis warned us.

"Distract her, now!" Robin ordered as Artemis shot an arrow. "Red, you get the other guy!"

I didn't hesitate to throw my blades, yet they bounced harmlessly off the metal shell. One lodged itself directly next to Wally's head. The robots shot a stream of water and fire and me, Robin, and Artemis dove out of the way and back into the water. We swam down to another entrance to the vents and I ripped away the cover as quickly as I could. Although I was in the front, my friends soon passed me the longer we stayed underwater. My vision started to blur and I was swimming even slower than before. I forced out one last kick and thankfully made it back up.

"Thank God, Red. We thought we lost you," Artemis said through quick heaves of air from another vent a few feet above me. I just nodded and continued gasping for air. Robin and Artemis pulled me up, which would have annoyed me under normal circumstances. Though these weren't normal circumstances. We all stayed there for a moment, trying to regain our breath. It was then I noticed Robin wasn't wearing a cape. It actually looked pretty good, but I decided against commenting on it and told myself to focus.

"Six minutes," the mechanical voice announced again, interrupting our short break.

"What do we do now?" Artemis asked, barely spacing out her words.

"We save them," I replied grimly. "That's how it works."

"Maybe that's how it's supposed to work, but those robots already took out our four super powered friends!" she snapped.

"You seem distraught," Robin said.

"Distraught! M'gann is dying! We have no powers and I'm down to my last arrow. Of _course_ I'm distraught!"

"Well get _traught_ or get _dead_!"

"How can you two stay so calm?" Artemis asked, following the two of us as we started crawling again.

"Practice. Been doing this since I was nine."

"I've been doing worse than this since I was six. No one at the facility really objected to playing with fire or swimming without an adult present," I added.

"What good is that now? What chance do we have against unrelenting machines?" Artemis demanded.

I stopped dead in my tracks and Robin did the same.

"Duh," he started.

"They're _machines_!" I grinned.

"And one electromagnetic pulse will shut down any machine within range."

"Great!" Artemis replied. "Except you better have an EMP emitter in your utility belts, because I _know_ I don't have one in my quiver."

"I'm fresh out," I shrugged.

"Same," was the answer from Robin. "But I'm bettin' we can make one."

I tapped my comms unit. "What do you say, Kid Mouth? Sound doable?"

Yeah, so I had aimed one to miss. It still worked in the end.

"Totally doable," he responded just as five minutes were announced. "If you had more time."

For what felt like the trillionth time that day, we crawled until somebody knocked out a metal panel and made our way our of the vents.

"Med lab, x-ray machine," Wally instructed. "You'll find a small vacuum tube called a vertater that converts high energy pulses. Reprogram the unit's microwave conversion from x-rays to EMPs with the cascading energy vector directed outward."

"A ripple affect," Robin realized aloud. "Like dropping a stone in a pond."

"A stone with ten to the twelfth power wattage," I corrected.

"So I'll need to hook it up to the cave's main generator," Robin continued.

Artemis turned to him. "Which is where?"

"As if our luck can't get any worse," I mumbled.

"What was that?" Artemis asked.

"It's in the hangar."

...

Another panel was kicked from the vent and we all landed silently on the ground. The robot kept announcing how much times we and our friends had left, and it was seriously starting to piss me off. I mean, we get it. You want us dead, but do you really have to alert us literally every fifteen seconds that our time is running out?

The three of us moved quickly and quietly until we reached the end of the floor looking out over the rest of the hangar. Robin nodded to me and I tapped my comms unit again. "Okay, make with the distraction."

I could hear Wally and Conner yelling taunts and other things and I couldn't help but grin a little. We dashed across the floor as Wally was saying something about binary brains counting to two.

"Cover me," Robin told us, attaching a line to the wall. Artemis nocked an arrow and I pinched my Rose Blades between my fingers. He dropped toward the generator and landed on the narrow metal platform that served as the floor. He put in the EMP emitter into place and started typing away on his wrist computer. I couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but I wished he'd say it quieter. He looked to our friends and I read his lips as, "It's not working."

Being much more alert now since I hadn't been around any fire or nearly drowned for awhile, I noticed the robots turning slowly towards Robin.

"Robin, look out!" I shouted. He managed to turn around just a giant wave overtook him. "Robin!" I screamed.

Artemis was about to fire an arrow when a fireball came hurtling our way. She dodged to the left and I had no choice but to go right, where the edge was. Luckily the first one missed, but when Artemis fired her last arrow and I threw my Rose Blades another came straight at me. I tried to dive out of the way, but it caught straight on the arm. I could feel the burning more and more from past times and I screamed. Another fireball came flying towards me, and I had no choice but to fall off the edge. I sort of just fell off, so I managed to get hit by uneven rocks poking out of the cave walls. I could hear someone yelling my name as I hit my arm and I could barely whimper, and then I hit my head on one. Spots danced before my eyes and I landed in something cool and smooth. I was still falling, but much slower. There was a bright orangey light above me that was coming closer, but someone grabbed me around the waist and pulled me away. I saw Robin, forever my savior, looking at me with concern. I was about to black out, and he seemed like it too. My eyes started to close and I saw Robin mouth something that looked like "Stay strong." Well, I tried.

...

I groaned and curled into a ball on my side. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay, Red?" Artemis asked.

"I hate _drowning_, I hate _burning_, and I absolutely _hate_ suffocation of any kind," I complained, my eyes still squeezed shut.

"She's alright," Robin said.

"Shut up, Bird Boy."

"I didn't say anything-"

"You're still smiling." I opened one eye and smiled back as he helped me up.

"Woah, what happened to your arm?" he asked. It was then I remembered the massive burn that was on my left arm.

"Oh, 'tis nothing. Just a little burn I got from a toaster."

Robin raised his eyebrows and shot me a I'm-being-serious look.

I shrugged. "Fine. It was a _big_ toaster."

Artemis snorted in the background and I grinned. I took a step and stumbled a bit, but I quickly regained my stance. "Some toaster," Robin whistled, wrapping an arm around me for support.

"Dude," I warned.

"Red," he mocked. "You still need help."

I grumbled something under my breath. He either didn't hear or didn't care or was smiling goofily. That's why I liked him so much.

A little while later, we were huddle in a semicircle around the trapped Wally and Conner. We were all sharing what had happened and the story was near its end.

"Figured my only chance was to surrender. Pretend to drown before I actually did. Blacked out though," Robin smiled.

"I hit my head on the wall after my arm got singed, so I blacked out too," I said.

"M'gann," Conner said, holding my friend's hand. She had an arm draped around Kaldur and it was obvious she needed the support.

"I'll be fine," she answered.

"Will you quit playing with that thing and cut us free already!" Wally snapped at Artemis, who held a machine that wasn't exactly working.

"It's not working, genius. EMP shuts down all machines, remember?" They glared at each other.

"Get a room," I blurted. They turned their glares to me while everyone else chuckled in the back.

Suddenly, a familiar robotic voice came through the cave. "All machines present at the time," Red Tornado said, coming down to us. "What has occurred?"

Robin turned to look at the two knocked out Reds. "A little visit from your family," he answered slowly.

"Your extremely nasty family," Artemus added.

"I was not aware I had relations," Red Tornado told us, beginning to walk towards the other robots in the room.

"Where've you been?" Conner asked.

"Monitor duty at the Watchtower. When it became clear cave communications were down, I attempted to investigate. Your zeta tubes were also nonfunctional. I transported to Providence and proceeded here." As he said it, Sphere turned back on and flew to Conner and the thing Artemis was holding shot out a blast.

"The pulse has worn off," Robin, Wally, and I said at the same time. Red Tornado bent down next to his siblings and tried to touch one. I swear I saw a spark and the android spun around to face us and tornadoes began to swirl from his arms. All the air was suddenly drawn out of me and I collapsed. I managed to see my other teammates falling with me before the world faded to black.

...

"Red Rose, wake up. Can you hear me?"

I slowly opened my eyes to see Batman standing over me and Robin next to him. The man helped me to my feet and Robin steadied me with a small smile. I returned the favor as I looked to see my other teammates stirring. Not exactly having a mentor to talk to, I backed away from the scene.

"What happened here?" Superman asked.

"What happened? The Reds happened!" Artemis exploded. "Tornado and his-wait, where are they?"

Robin turned to her. "Gone. All three of them. Gone."

Definitely a bad day for me.

**What did you think? Please review or PM. I'm sorry I don't respond to everyone who reviews like some, but know that I hold each review near and dear to my heart. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Lovely Realization

**Sorry I haven't updated in a super long time. I've been busy with my other fics and this one is just a compilation of ideas and episodes. I scrapped a few ideas before coming up with this one, and I have to say it's one of my favorite chapters that I've ever written. It's when Robin was talking to an unconscious Red after the incident and when he finally admits it! I hope you guys like it!**

Dick's POV

"I know you probably can't hear me, and maybe that's for the best with what I'm saying. I just wanted to say that no matter what happened before, I still like you. I mean- Gah, get it together, Grayson," I smacked myself on the forehead. "At least she can't hear me."

I'd snuck back into Red's infirmary room while those from the League were busy. I just wanted to make sure she was okay, and maybe make sure that certain things I wanted to tell her didn't sound too weird.

"Anyway, these past months have been amazing for me because I met you. You really confused me at first because you were telling me the secrets of the facility and at first I really wasn't sure, but then I saw you get hit with a dart and knew you couldn't be lying. You know, Red, I'm really ashamed to say it, but I nearly forgot you in that death trap," I continued. I swear I saw her shift in her coma, but quickly dismissed the thought.

"Then, after you woke up for the first time, I couldn't help but notice this really weird feeling in my chest. It came back when Psimon was in your head, too, and I was really worried about you." I chuckled softly, "I'm having that same worried chest feeling again.

"I remember when we sparred, and everyone was pitying you because you had to face me. You really got me that time, huh? I minded losing, of course, but not as much as I expected. Probably because it was you." I looked at her expectantly and squeezed her hand. "Come on, Red. Wake up and say something sarcastic, something that will annoy me but I'll secretly love."

Not getting anything in response, I sighed and leaned back in the chair I'd dragged next o her bed. I slowly rubbed circles on the back of her hand as my eyes wandered to her scar.

"You may not make anything of it, but you don't deserve any what has come to you. That's why I really don't believe in karma," I said, breaking the silence I had created.

"The helicopter thing made me think that my short time with you was over, and it confused me how scary that was. I was seriously freaking out and terrified, yet I barely even _knew_ you then. When you woke up after that, I started to realize what that feeling in my chest meant. You were just so... _different_. You still had your guard up, and I knew that you didn't like me that way at all, but I already knew I'd most likely never find someone quite like you. Now, I know that... that I could never leave you."

For some impulsive reason, I waited for a response from her, but not the slightest stir occurred. Maybe the League was right. Maybe I was being too hopeful. I took a shaky breath of air and started again.

"I remember you had a dream or something later on, I think I can guess what it was about by now, and I almost had a panic attack because you weren't waking up. Then I remember I held you so tightly when you snapped awake, because I didn't want to lose you. And later on that day I realized just how stubborn- er, _persistent_ you could be." I corrected myself and smiled, remembering how we had such a short little argument that day that completely proved my point. I probably just imagined it, but I saw the corners of Red's mouth twitch for a fraction of a second. Yeah, probably just me.

"The first time Wally hit on you, I was glad you rejected him, and even though he's my best friend, I got kind of pissed. I didn't want you and him, together. That would be weird, and I know you'd agree with me.

"Then you officially joined the team, and I was so happy. I'd get to see you a few times a week, if not a few times a day. I still didn't completely understand, but all I knew was that you were happy to be on the team and I was happy you were on. Though now I'm guessing that happiness was only halfway for you, because we trusted you so much and you were still hiding your secret."

I sighed again. "I bet this is pointless. I bet you can't even hear me. I'm talking to myself by now... I guess I need to say this stuff out loud to make sense of it. You probably wouldn't care too much."

I took a deep breath, deciding to continue for both myself and Red. "Something that really ticked me off was when you were frozen in that giant chunk of ice after you shoved me out of the way and then when I made it explode, Icicle Jr. caught you. And he _held_ you. Though you were unconscious, and you couldn't do anything. All because you wanted to save me from being blasted by two ice beams that would've hurt me much less than they hurt you, you were caught by that slime ball. I got so, so mad, but I couldn't do anything because he was threatening to hurt you. Now that I know about your powers, I'm guessing it probably could've killed you. That does not make me feel any better. Though in the end you were safe and you woke simply saying that you were cold. I picked you up and you started to protest and protest, but I refused to put you down. To let you go.

"I can remember lots of little moments we shared that I couldn't help but overly enjoy, and I could never stay whelmed around you. I'm just now remembering the attack of the Reds in the cave, and now I realize how much you went through with that. I'd always noticed that you tended to lose air somewhat quickly, but now I understand. That little episode must've put you through hell," I continued, shaking my head. I noticed a stray strand of hair falling across her face, and I leaned over to gently brush the bright, fiery red piece away. Bright and fiery, just like Red.

"It seems like centuries ago, but in reality it was only a number of weeks ago that you shut yourself in your room after the meeting with Cheshire. I still don't exactly know what happened there, but Artemis said you saw them talking and pretended to be super pissed at her. That must've destroyed you from the inside out. It would've done the same to me if I were in your shoes. I wanted nothing but to help you then, and that's what I want to do now. I was so worried about you-again-and I needed to make sure you were okay. I don't know if this actually happened or if I just imagined it, but we almost kissed. And I wanted, I _desperately_ wanted to kiss you. To assure you that everything was alright and that everything would turn out fine. Boy, was I an idiot to think that.

"That mission was terrible from the start. The bioship was immediately wrecked, and you were suffocated by one of your mother's plants. And, and, just like that, you died," my voice cracked as I managed to choke out the words. "I tried CPR, and that didn't seem to work. I started begging for you to wake up, and, I doubt you even realized this and so I'm wondering why I am even telling you, I thought you were dead, so I kissed you on the forehead. Then, like magic, you woke up and I couldn't let go of you again. And, again, you showed off the stubbornness that would annoy me and make me inwardly smile at the same time.

"Then you were fighting the Joker and I Poison Ivy. Now it makes sense that she set the plants on fire, and now I know it was you who kept pushing her plants back down. You were trying to save me when you needed it much more. I will never understand that about you, Red Rose. Then you were stabbed and I saw you fall before I too blacked out, and then the Fear Gas kicked in. Quite a few of my fears involved you, actually. I saw you dead in one, and I'm surprised I didn't die from a panic slash heart attack right then and there. I woke up, and I found that you were having a much worse time with the Fear Gas than I did."

I realized that I was just babbling by now, filling the empty spaces with my words while Red couldn't. Perhaps I'd hit my head during that fall out of the building...

"Then you woke up, terrified, and for once I wasn't relieved that you'd woken up. We were in a lot of trouble. Then I remember the Joker and Ivy came in and took you away. I tried to hold onto you, I really did. Though he still managed to get you, and forced you to reveal your secret under orders from him. And even though you saved us, I think we all hated you for a moment. But that hate was completely misdirected. Completely, totally, utterly, _stupidly_ misdirected. I take back everything I said after I found out. Everything. I'm so, so sorry, Red. We all feel terrible that we lashed out on you, but we realized our mistakes. Now I'm really hoping you can hear me, and I'm really hoping we didn't hurt you beyond repair. We're all friends, and I-well, I, er, I'll just get to that later. Hehe," I laughed weakly, not sure if I wanted to say anything about I felt yet.

"When, when we got you back, I was the first to find you. You know that Fear Gas illusion I was talking about where you died? Yeah, you looked just like that. Exactly. And that hurt me, that I couldn't help you. I could've done something, there's _always_ something I could've done for you!" My voice turned into an angry shout and I had to take a deep breath to still my shaking fists. "There's always something I could've done for you," I whispered. "And all I could do then was pick you up in your broken, inhuman form and carry you around the building while we tried to find a way out. Though then, the Joker blew up the building, and that's all I can remember. I tried to stay awake for you, but I just couldn't. Now we're both here, both injured, and yet only one of us is awake." I sighed. "That's wrong in my eyes."

My eyes travelled to her unconscious form that had few visible parts, but every part had blood on it. She really was red. I took a shaky breath and decided to just finish what I'd come to say. "Red, what I've been trying to say throughout all of this is that I, I really, really like you. And I could never forgive myself after what happened to you and where you are now. I've already been protective over you, and that's because I never, ever wanted to see you hurt. Sadly, I've been one to hurt you too, and, again, I can never forgive myself for that. These past months with you have meant the world to me; you make me so happy, Red. I mean, I'd totally get it if the feeling wasn't mutual, but..." I took a huge breath to feed the enormity of my next three words.

"I love you."

**What did everyone think? Again, this is one of my favorite chapters I've ever written because it's just so damn SWEET! Please follow, favorite, PM, or review. Thanks for reading!**


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